OAG Travel News

The Bavarian gateway is gaining ground in the European airport league tables, with rapid expansion and high satisfaction levels among passengers. Colin Ellson reports

Germany may have finished third in the 2006 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, but in terms of traffic volume in global airport competition, its second-largest gateway doesn't get as far as the quarter finals.

Munich Airport is ranked 30th busiest in the world, seventh in Europe. But it seems size is not everything to savvy travellers. Some eight million of them, representing every continent, voted it fourth best in the world in the Skytrax Airport Awards 2007, and the tops in Europe for the third consecutive year.

Passengers have also been voting with their feet. In 2006, there were 7.5% more than the previous year, in the first nine months of 2007, the year-on-year rise was 11%, with the airport subsequently recording 34 million for the 12 months, a jump of 10% over 2006.

That such increases are attainable with the minimum of fuss is attributable to the opening in 2003 of Terminal 2, dedicated to Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners, which doubled airport annual capacity to 50 million. Which means Munich's target of 56 million by 2020 is feasible, particularly as the Regional Government of Upper Bavaria has completed the planning process for a third runway and issued a positive assessment of the project.

Strategically located at the heart of Europe, with 91 airlines flying to 196 destinations in 67 countries, Munich has seen significant growth in airline services this winter. South African Airways, for example, has increased flights to Johannesburg from three to four a week, and Lufthansa has introduced a widebody Airbus A330 on its daily New York Newark route, offering a substantial increase in seats.

Meanwhile, within Europe, the German flag carrier has added the Romanian city of Sibiu to its network; Air Berlin has launched twice-daily flights to London and Milan; Tarom has doubled frequencies to two a day to Bucharest; Norwegian Air Shuttle has established a new service to Warsaw; and low-cost carrier Germanwings has expanded frequencies and added new destinations across its domestic network. In addition, Russia’s Transaero has made its Munich debut, flying once a week to St. Petersburg.

All of which comes on top of the new records set in the third quarter of 2007, when there was a 19% increase in passengers on intercontinental flights, and a 22% rise on Eastern European routes.

According to Dr. Michael Kerkloh, president and CEO of Munich Airport, the May 2004 accession of 10 new member countries to the EU (including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, plus Bulgaria and Romania in 2007), has “boosted Munich Airport from a fringe role to the centre of the EU.”

Dr. Kerkloh also has another aim in mind. “Our strong traffic growth has moved us a good piece along the road to our goal of making the airport Europe's most attractive and efficient hub by 2010,” he adds.

His optimism is underwritten by current and planned developments at Munich Airport. In 2004, it was given the go-ahead by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to operate the 555-seat Airbus A380, with the super-jumbo touching down last March as part of Lufthansa's route testing programme.

Passing the examination with flying colours, the airport now meets all the stringent requirements in relation to runways, taxiways and bridges to support the 600-ton aircraft, plus “species appropriate” de-icing for the giant bird in winter.

Shifting its focus from airside to landside, Munich's next challenge is improving the quality of traffic links to the airport. One solution is the proposed Transrapid or Maglev (magnetic levitation) train line, planned to speed travellers from the airport to Munich's Central Station in just 10 minutes.

Possibly up and running by 2011, the link is seen as rounding off the German gateway's overall impression of technological leadership and readiness to face the future – and would, no doubt, give it a deserved leg up in the airport league tables.

At-a-glance guide
Location: 28km/18 miles north east of the city
Transport links:  trains (lines S1 and S8) every 10 minutes, with a journey time of 40-50 minutes (€8.80 single); airport bus 20-minute frequency (45 minutes/ €10); taxi (45 minutes/€50)     
Annual passenger throughput: 34 million (2007)
Minimum connecting time: 30 minutes (T2), 35 minutes (T1)
Executive lounges: Air France Salon, British Airways, Delta Crown Room Club, Lufthansa (Business and Senator), Emirates; Atlantik and Europa lounges for passengers on other airlines, also available on a pay-as-you-enter basis
Facilities:  internet café, wireless (WLAN) access for laptop and PDA users, internet luggage tracing service, SMS flight information; conference centre with 28 meeting rooms; showers; 24-hour medical centre, pharmacy; entertainment arcade; rooftop viewing platform; cafes and bars include Il Mondo, Bamee Asia takeaway, Kafer Bistro, Nordsee Restaurant, Burger King, Erdinger Sportsbar and Airport Pizza (T1), Seafood Sylt, Pizza Monaco, Airbrau, Wiener's Café and Dallmayr (T2); duty-free shops (T1), duty-free shops, designer stores, bookshops, boutiques in Munchen Airport Centre Mall (T2); chapel; disco; post office
Banks/cashpoints: American Express, Hypo Vereinsbank (T1), bureaux de change and ATMs in both terminals
Airport hotels: Kempinski, Accor Novotel opening autumn 2009
Car rental desks: Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National, Sixt

Website: www.munich-airport.de